Author's Note: So I had no plan to continue this, but this second chapter came to me and made me very happy. After all, I didn't leave George in a very happy place at the end of the first chapter. Thanks to those of you who have favorite and followed this story. I appreciate it greatly.
A side thought: I'm a fan of Once Upon a Time and as I was writing this, I was thinking how delicious Colin O'Donoghue would be as George. Anybody else, or is it just me?
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Tamora Pierce and not me, I'm borrowing them for fun.
Chapter Two
By the Crooked God, if George had known how much paperwork Pirate's Swoop was going to cause him, he might have taken his chance with the Lord Provost.
He pushed aside a pile of unanswered letters and ran his fingers through his hair.
He was restless and agitated. And not in the best mood.
He missed her.
George couldn't blame Alanna for going back to her Bazhir tribe after the chaos of Jon's coronation, but he couldn't help but wish she was at his side.
A part of him kept expecting a wedding announcement. It would break his heart to watch her marry someone else, even Jon, but he couldn't quite imagine her as queen.
He sighed and retrieved the next letter.
"My lord!" The boy shouted from down the hall, approaching rapidly.
"I told you, lad," George said tiredly, as the boy slid to a stop, "call me 'George.' Being called 'my lord' is just too much."
"Yes, my lo—George." The lad caught himself at George's arched eyebrow.
"Now, what do you need, lad?" Oh, he was so anxious to please.
"Have you heard?"
George eyed the mess that was his desk. "I've been wrestling with papers all day, so no, I've heard nothing."
"King Jon is to be married!"
A vice clenched George's heart. "Is he now?" He went back to his letter in a futile attempt to distract himself.
"Yes. He and Princess Thayet are to be wed in three months."
George's head shot up. "Thayet?"
The boy nodded, thrilled to be delivering the news.
George blinked. "Thayet. He's marrying Thayet." The vice was still around is heart, but had changed it's angle a bit.
"Yes, my lo—George."
George stood slowly and moved around his desk to put his hands on the boy's shoulders, a broad grin crossing his face. He knelt down and met the boy's gaze head on. "I'm going to need my horse as quick as it can be readied, lad."
"Yes, George," he said, and rushed off to make sure it was done.
George Cooper, Lord of Pirate's Swoop, smiled to himself. He had a trip to make and a question to ask.